The Cub
by xenascully
Summary: Sam and Dean hunt for a werewolf and end up in the middle of something a lot more complicated... Hurt!Dean Angst!Sam
1. Chapter 1

"Somebody help!" Sam shouted as he carried Dean, cradled his pale, sweating body like a child in his arms through the emergency room doors. "Please!"

"I's okay, S'mmy," Dean insisted, chin shivering as he lay limply in his little brother's hold. "'m okay."

Sam shook his head, nostrils flaring in both anger and fear.

"Sir, let us take him!" a nurse yelled, and Sam looked up from his brother to see a small swarm of medical staff running up with a stretcher.

"H-he's in shock," Sam stammered out as he carefully laid Dean onto the bed. "We didn't know it was this bad..."

"They're taking him back right now, alright?" the nurse tried to get the giant to breathe and focus as she led him to sit down on an unoccupied bed in what he now realized was the hallway outside of the OR intake doors. "I need you to calm down and take a deep breath, okay?" she continued. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Sam," he replied, trying to breathe as she'd instructed.

"Okay, Sam. And can you tell me the name of the man you brought in?"

"Dean...He's my brother. Fitzgerald," he added. Dean would kill him.

"Okay, great. Now can you tell me what happened, Sam?" She sat down on the bed beside him, putting a comforting arm around his shaking shoulders.

"Uh...he uh..." Sam clamped his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to clear the terrifying image of his brother in so much damned pain that made it too difficult to think straight...

*~.~*

 _ **48 hours earlier...**_

"Okay, so we've got missing hearts," Dean said as he drove the Impala up the lonely dirt road into Bar Nunn, Wyoming. "Three people in the past few weeks that they know about," he continued. "Sounds like a werewolf to me."

"Yeah, most likely," Sam replied. "I've got the address for the coroner's office. Figured we could grab a room, get changed and head over there just to make sure." Dean nodded silently. It sounded like a simple case, and the only time-consuming part would be finding where the wolf was currently residing. Truth be told, Dean was ecstatic that they were going on a regular old monster hunt, something he didn't have to think twice about or second guess the 'how' and 'why' of it all. Werewolves, he could handle.

"So you think there are more victims that they just don't know about?"

"Has to be," Dean replied. "Either that or they just recently moved in and got sloppy with their work," he said with a shrug.

"Makes sense," Sam replied as he began typing into his phone. "Guess we can narrow down the suspect list to new residents in the last month or so."

"If he's not just holed up in the woods somewhere."

"True..."

*~.~*

"Hi," Sam smiled at the receptionist at the front desk of the coroner's office as he pulled out his badge. "I'm Agent Hamilton. This is my partner, Agent Tyler. We're here to speak to the coroner concerning the mutilation case."

"Uh...which one?" the younger man asked, adjusting his glasses nervously.

"The most recent," Dean replied. "Which I imagine is the only one that's still here."

"R-right. Yes. The others were cremated. I'll uh... Hang on a second." He picked up the office phone and and pressed a button. Sam and Dean shared a glance. "Dr. Bully, the FBI is here to speak to you about Miss Anderson." There was a pause. "Yes, sir, I'll send them right in." He hung up the phone and looked to Sam. "Right through those doors," he gestured behind him to the right. "Second door on the right."

Sam nodded to him in thanks, and he and Dean made there way through the double door. "Lucky break they were cremated," Dean said in a quiet voice. "Makes our job easier."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was a real lucky break for them, too."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Shut up, you know what I mean."

"Agents!" An older, balding man met them in the hallway outside of the room they'd been directed to. "I'm Dr. Bully," he said as he held his hand out to Dean.

"Doctor," Dean nodded as he shook his hand. Then Sam did the same. "Tyler," he said, then pointed to Sam. "Hamilton."

"Very nice to meet you," Bully replied. "So the FBI caught wind of this, eh?"

"We've had a few similar cases in the surrounding area," Dean replied. "Just checking to see if it could be the same guy that's doing this."

"Surrounding area? Like...'cross state lines? I hadn't heard of anything like this before. You think it's some kinda serial killer?"

"It could be," Sam replied. "You said the heart was missing?"

"Sure is," Bully replied. "Not just missing, but ripped right outta there. Victims were alive when it happened, and that's all I can tell you about it except that it looked more like an animal attack than anything else... If there hadn't been two others with the same type of injury, that's what I would've believed it was."

"May we see the body?" Sam asked.

" _Dr. Bully, you have an urgent call on line one,"_ sounded over the loudspeaker.

"Ah hell. Y'all go on in there and take a look. Drawer three. Only body we've got in there. I've gotta go take this call."

They entered the morgue as Dr. Bully went in the opposite direction. Sam pulled open the drawer, Dean on the other side of it as the younger brother pulled back the sheet to reveal the open wound in the victim's chest. "Yeah, I'd say definitely a werewolf," Dean said as he picked up the file that lay on top of the sheet. "See if you can poke around for the reports on the other two. We might get lucky enough to find a pattern in where their bodies were found."

Just then, Dr. Bully threw open the door. "Looks like you got here just in time," he told them. "We've got another one. Figured you might as well tag along and see the scene since you're here." The brothers shared another glance before shutting the drawer and heading out with the coroner.

*~.~*

"You say they've all been found within six miles of each other?" Sam asked the doctor as Dean took a look at the wound on the latest victim. He listened in on the conversation between his brother and the doc as he grimaced at the bloody hole in the woman's chest. He covered her back up before standing and scoping the area.

They were half a mile off the hiking trail, and the girl had probably been there since the night before or really early that morning. He heard the doc say she'd been discovered by a couple who'd been walking with their dog. The mutt had gotten loose from the leash and lead them to the body.

When Sam was finished talking to the doc and the sheriff, it took him a moment to spot his brother who had been heading back toward the trail. He ran to catch up with him. "Hey," he said only slightly out of breath when he reached his side. "So the sheriff has decided to close the trails off from dusk till dawn until this gets resolved," he informed him. "They think it's a wild animal, still. He's gonna call in some local hunters...I mean the animal hunter kind of hunters, and see if they can't figure it out and trap it."

"Yeah, we should probably take care of this pretty quick then," Dean said without taking his eyes from where he'd been tracking.

"The kills are accelerating," Sam added. "He started out killing every four or five days. It's only been three since the last one."

"And now the sheriff is laying out a nice little camo-style buffet, so who knows?"

"It might scare him off," Sam thought out loud. "Might force him to a location outside of the woods."

"Maybe," Dean replied as they reached the trail. "Thing is...there's two of 'em."

"What?" Sam's eyes widened a bit as they sought out what Dean was looking at. He saw it within a few moments. The victim's shoe prints, and two other sets almost undetectable in the dirt on either side of hers.

"They blocked her path," Dean said. "Forced her off the trail. She took off, ran like hell, but she never stood a chance."

"It wouldn't have taken much for them to catch her," Sam said.

"Oh it wouldn't have, no. They wanted her off the trail so she wouldn't be found so easily."

They were silent for a few long moments until Sam broke it. "Dean...there could be more bodies they haven't even thought to look for out here."

"And we could be lookin' at a pack. We should call in some reinforcements..."

*~.~*

 **tbc...**


	2. Chapter 2

After having brought up the possibility to the sheriff, the entire area had been quarantined off as the entire department worked to comb the woods. At least they wouldn't have to worry about an incident tonight. Not with that much going on in the hunting grounds.

Sam had reached four hunters that were on their way to blend in with the search team, and they'd be there before lunch the next day. So now the two were eating take-out in their motel room, both of them with their laptops open doing research.

"You find anything yet?" Dean asked around a mouthful of pizza.

"Bupkis," Sam replied with a resigned sigh. "No open missing persons reports in the area. Since the victims were killed in the woods, there's obviously no security footage to comb over..."

"Figures. Check this out, though," he said, turning his screen as Sam leaned over to see it. "Colstrip, Montana, a little over a month ago."

Sam glanced over the article. "Animal attack related deaths in the area. Doesn't mention any more detail about how they died." He straightened back to his own laptop and started digging deeper into the cases in Colstrip. "The deaths were within a span of six weeks," he discovered. "And check this out," he said, turning his screen to Dean now. "One of the victims had a four year old son, and he's been reported missing since she was found dead... Check out the dates, man."

Dean read over what Sam had pointed out, then looked down at their notes from the coroner's office. "This is too much of a coincidence not to be them," he said, looking back up at his brother. "So what're you thinkin'? They took the kid and ran? Is that a thing werewolves do now?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe the kid just wandered off after seeing what happened to his mother?"

"So he could just as well be dead in a ditch somewhere."

"Hopefully not, but...it's possible. You think...uh...maybe they took him with them?" Sam grimaced as he formed the thought.

"Back to the pack to divvy up a baby heart?" Dean elaborated. "That's disgusting. I hope that's not what happened."

"Or they're saving him for later," Sam offered, grimace still present on his face.

"Yeah. I mean that'd explain why they left town, I guess."

"You think he's still alive?"

"I don't think they'd be killing again if they hadn't already eaten the one they had on reserve," Dean replied morbidly.

"I'm gonna call Jody," Sam said, pulling out his phone. "Maybe she has some contacts along the route from Colstrip to here; flash the kid's picture around. They had to stop for gas on the way here. Maybe we'll get lucky..."

*~.~*

It was morning when Jody called back. Dean was in the shower, and Sam was halfway through his second cup of coffee. "Hey, Jody," Sam answered.

" _Mornin', Sam. You near a computer?"_

"Uh yeah," he replied, moving from the bed to the table where his laptop was charging. He opened it and woke it from its hibernation.

" _Okay, I'm sending you footage from a Stop 'n Go along 25 from about twelve hours after the kid was reported missing. It's pretty bad quality, but it might have your wolf pack sighting. Looks like Dean was right. There's two of them, one male, one female both in their mid-thirties. The male can be seen paying cash for gas as the female carries the boy to the restroom."_ Sam watched the video as she spoke. The body language of both adults waved a red flag. The kid didn't seem very happy, but he was still alive here, so there was that... _"What tipped me off is when they pull away from the pump,"_ she continued. _"They're Montana plates. And get this, from a sedan reported stolen the day before in Colstrip."_

"It's gotta be them," Sam replied, trying to zoom in on the blurry faces. "Thanks, Jody. This is just what we needed."

" _I hope they haven't hurt that boy,"_ she said. _"His name is Ian. If you find him... Damnit, Sam, are you sure you don't want me out there with you?"_

Sam could sense the hurt in her voice. No doubt she was thinking about her own lost son. "I'd love for you to be here, Jody, but you've got your hands full there as it is, and we've got help."

" _Can't ever have too much help."_

"If we haven't figured this out by tonight, who knows. We might need you here after all."

" _I'd be there in a heartbeat. You stay safe, Sam, you hear?"_

"Yeah. You too..."

*~.~*

"Just found another one," Bully told the brothers as he pulled off what had to be his fifth pair of latex gloves. He'd called them back out to the woods when they'd found another body that morning, and now there was another. "This one's been here at least a week. The other...well I'll have to take a look, but my assistant estimates a bit older than that."

"But no activity last night?" Sam asked.

"Nothin' we've seen or heard about so far," he replied. "Sheriff Holt is at this one's wife's house breakin' the news. I'll have him contact you if he knows somethin' I don't."

"Thanks," Sam said, then turned to head back to the car with Dean. "Okay so...more frequent kills than we'd originally thought. But it's still within the same time frame, so I'm thinking that footage Jody sent us might actually be who we're looking for."

"Great. So we're looking for two big smudges and possibly a smaller smudge."

"We know they're somewhere between 5' 8 and 6'. One's a male, one's a female, and they might still be in the same car."

"Montana plates don't narrow down the search too much, Sam. There's a ton here."

"It's better than nothing."

"Well we can at least assume they're not actually living in the woods," Dean said as they got into the car. "They might be squatting somewhere in town."

"I can look for vacant houses nearby," Sam offered. "Assuming they're not just living in the car."

"They're rationing the hearts, Sammy. They'd probably need a fridge or something."

"So a vacant house with the power still running..."

*~.~*

"Okay, thanks, Randy. I'll send you the next one." Sam ended the call with a sigh.

"Still nothin'?" Dean asked after hanging up with another hunter associate that had come into town to help out.

Sam shook his head. "Thank god we've got help for this part at least. If it was just us going to each of these empty houses, we'd be at it all night."

"Well, I say we take a break," Dean said, getting up from the little table in their motel room and stretching. "It's past dinnertime. Let's gas up the car and check out the little diner up the road. Couple of the guys are on their way there, too. We can meet up and figure out our next move."

Sam felt a little reluctant to stop finding addresses to check out, but upon hearing about food, his stomach growled as a reminder that they'd skipped lunch. He closed the laptop lid and grabbed his jacket.

 _Outside..._

 _A small figure quietly slipped into the back seat of the shiny black car and hid in the floorboard. He'd slipped away from the others in the chaos of them packing up so quickly. The others had been eager to leave after discovering that just a few doors down were people who would try and stop them. If they wanted to stop them, they must be the good guys, and maybe he had a chance if he could escape his captors..._

"There's three more houses, Sam," the voice was getting closer to the car. "Randy's on his way to one now, and Kurt's probably already at the other one."

"Which means they could find them any moment, and they'll need us." The two got into the car, and the small figure in the back squeezed his eyes shut as he pressed himself harder into the floorboard.

"Just a quick bite to eat, Sam. If they find something, we'll head out. They won't go in without us. It'll be fine."

"Famous last words," Sam mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

The car roared to life, and music came on all around him. It was comforting almost. It helped him to relax a bit, his stomach not as tight as it was when he'd snuck away from the monsters. It had only been a few minutes before the car turned off again, and the silence tore away the cloak of comfort. The doors up front opened and shut, and he knew he was alone again. They were leaving and he was alone. He couldn't help but cry.

"Hey," Sam stopped in his tracks beside the car, gesturing for Dean to be silent. "You hear that?"

Dean strained to hear, and Sam nodded toward the back seat. He could hear it now. "Is that...?" They opened both back doors simultaneously, hands on their guns and ready to draw if necessary. "Holy crap," Dean said, eyes wide as he glanced to Sam. "Is that...?"

"The missing kid," Sam finished, dumbfounded...

 **tbc...**


	3. Chapter 3

"Ian?" Sam asked in a careful voice. The boy met his eyes and nodded hesitantly. "Are you okay?" He shrugged. "Where'd you come from?" The boy began to panic, his breathing picking up as he curled in on himself.

"Hey, hey now," Dean said, kneeling in the rocky bedding of the parking lot and reaching in to pull the kid out as carefully as Sam could remember him doing when he was little. "It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you, okay?" Ian curled into Dean and held onto him for dear life.

"Dean," Sam's voice sounded quietly but with warning. Dean looked at him and then down at where Sam was looking on the boy. The back of his neck, to be exact. There under the puffy overgrown of his blond hair showed part of a bite mark. He'd been turned...

*~.~*

"Sam took him to the bathroom," Dean spoke into his phone as he paced the lot behind the Impala. There were only two other cars in the lot, and they'd seen the hunters pull in after they had. "I have no idea what to do here, Jody. He's just a baby. Scared to death. He ain't talkin' either."

" _After witnessing his mother brutally murdered, I'm not surprised, Dean. He may_ never _talk. Poor thing..."_

"Assuming he doesn't end up trying to eat us, what do we do? Drop him off with you and your home for peculiar children? I mean, it's getting pretty full last I was there..."

" _You know I'd be more than happy to take him in, Dean, but with my job? I mean...I'd have to talk to the girls and see what they'd think. Or...actually, ya know what would be perfect?"_

"Garth," Dean replied before she could. "Yeah I was thinkin' about that. I gotta make sure the kid's okay with it. I mean...I know we can't keep him, but I don't want him to think we're abandoning him, ya know?"

" _I know."_

"I mean, at least with Garth, he's got a family. They could lead him right."

" _You're a good man, Dean Winchester. Ten years ago, you'd be convincing Sam you had to kill him."_ Something tore in Dean's heart at her words. It was true. She was right, and it made him sick inside to remember the things he'd done in his past. _"Look, Dean, I'm sorry. That was outta line..."_

"Nah, you're right," he replied. "But I'm not gonna let anything happen to him. Not if I can help it. I promise you that much."

" _But if you have to..."_

"Not gonna happen."

" _Okay, Dean. I hope you're right."_

Dean could hear the concern in her voice. "Don't worry. I'll keep you posted," he told her, then after a moment he ended the call.

He was a second too late to become aware of someone at his back...

*~.~*

Sam was leading Ian from the bathroom now, nodding to the hunters who were seated, waiting for the Winchesters to join them, when suddenly Ian stiffened and clung to Sam's leg, his gaze peering out the window toward the dark parking lot.

"What is it?" Sam asked, then glanced around, immediately realizing that Dean must've been outside still, and the kid had obviously sensed something that he hadn't. Sam dropped to his knee to look the boy in the eyes. "Are they out there?" he asked him. Ian nodded, frightened. "Go back to the bathroom, Ian. Go in there and lock yourself in, and don't come out till we come back for you. Understand?" Ian let out a whimper but nodded before turning to run back to the bathroom.

"What's goin' on, Sam?" One of the men asked, seeing the urgency on his face.

"They're outside," Sam replied as he stood and headed toward the door. The hunters scrambled to get out of the booths. Sam turned to to the wait staff behind the counter. "Everybody needs to get down and hide, now! There are fugitives right outside. We're here to catch them, and there might be gunfire!" He turned to the hunters. "You two go out the back. Kurt, you're with me. Let's not let these bastards get away!"

*~.~*

"I've got your gun, hunter," a female voice sounded behind him. "And you're outnumbered." Now he noticed another figure beside him before he felt the blade of a knife pointing in his side.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked, if for no other reason than to stall.

"You've got our cub," the male responded. "I can smell him all over you. Where is he?"

"Nowhere you're gonna find 'im," Dean grinned cockily.

"Look, Deano," the female pressed Dean's gun into his back. And why the hell did all the bad guys like that nickname so much? "We went through a lot of trouble to start this little family, see?"

"And you're gonna tell us where he is..." The man didn't miss a beat when he moved in front of Dean and then pressed the blade of his knife halfway into Dean's gut as though it was butter. Dean instinctively grabbed the guy's arm to try and stop him from going further. "And I don't eat your heart right here."

Dean grunted against the pain, grit his teeth and drew in a breath. "Go to hell," he told him.

"Hm," the female laughed through her nose. "I was getting hungry anyway."

"Step away from him!" Sam's voice sounded like music to Dean's ears. Then he felt the blade roughly pulled from his stomach, and pressed suddenly to his throat, the male having moved behind him to shield himself as he got a grip on his hostage. The female held the gun up to aim at Sam.

"Back off, hunter, or this one dies!" The male yelled, making sure to shield himself from the others that had come up on their other side.

"Where's my boy?" The female yelled.

"He's not yours!" Sam shouted, swallowing the nervousness that crawled up his throat at the sight of Dean's bloodied shirt. The older brother's left hand pressed against the wound, while his right held pointlessly fought against the wolf's knife hand.

"Drop your gun or so help me I'll slit his throat before any of you can get a shot off," the male warned, bearing his teeth at them.

"Sam!" Dean warned. "Just shoot 'im!"

"Just try it!" the male yelled, pressing the knife deep enough to cause a trickle of blood to drip from Dean's throat.

"Stop!" Sam shouted, putting his hands up in surrender. "Just...let him go."

"I said to _drop_ it, boy," the male said, now pointing the knife at Sam.

Dean saw the opportunity and took it, twisting away from the male and grabbing his gun from the girl in one smooth move, falling to the ground and twisting, barely bothering to aim before firing a silver bullet into her skull. The male roared out and was suddenly changing, his body twisting in front of their eyes, freezing the hunters in their tracks at the display. He'd completely transformed into a decrepit, sickly looking wolf, and it wasn't until it lunged for Dean that Sam pulled the trigger, sending the thing a few feet away from Dean, and watching it die and change back into its human form.

"Dean!" Sam rushed to his brother's side, hovering where Dean was holding onto his bloody wound.

"'m fine, Sammy," Dean grunted. "Didn't get me all the way."

"You're bleeding bad, Dean, I gotta get you patched up," Sam argued.

"Go on and get him fixed up, Sam," Kurt said. "We'll get this cleaned up."

Sam nodded in a appreciation, then turned back to his brother. "Can you get to the car?"

"Yeah...maybe."

"C'mon," Sam said, assisting him to stand and walk over to the passenger side, opening the door for him before helping him to sit. "I'm gonna go get Ian. I'll be right back."

"Careful, Sammy," Dean said as he watched him run back into the diner.

*~.~*

"I still think I should take you to a doctor," Sam said for the twentieth time since getting them back to the room.

"I'm fine, dude," Dean insisted, hissing through his teeth as he pushed to sit back against the headboard. "You patched me up good. I'll be fine. Gimme back my whiskey, bitch," he whined, then turned toward Ian, just remembering he was in the room. "Sorry, kiddo." But Ian was smiling in what looked like amusement.

"How about some actual painkillers?" Sam suggested. "Who knows how much blood you lost before we got back here."

"Okay fine whatever, just gimme something so I can pass out."

"In the car," Sam said as he threw the rest of their things in their bags. "I'm not carrying you out there, jerk."

Dean smiled as Sam took the first load to the car. He looked over at Ian. "How you holdin' up, buddy?" Ian glanced at the big white bandage that covered Dean's left half, and frowned sadly. "Hey, it ain't that bad," Dean told him with a smile. Ian got up from Sam's bed and walked up beside Dean, then leaned over Dean's wound. Dean worried a bit for a moment, but then the kid put the softest little kiss on the bandage and Dean would've blushed like a little girl if there'd been enough spare blood in his body to do so.

He flashed back to when he and Sam were kids, and Sam had done the same thing but to his broken wrist. Sam had been about the same age as Ian was now. Damn if that didn't almost start some waterworks.

"Okay, guys. You ready?" Sam asked as he came back into the room. "I uh...acquired a booster seat," he informed Dean, quietly. Dean didn't ask. "You need to lie down in the back?" he asked Dean.

"I'm fine up front," Dean insisted. "Kid's gotta ride in back anyway. State law, Sammy." And of course Dean would know that.

A few hours later, Dean was snoring like a bear in the passenger seat, the morphine having done an excellent job. Ian was still awake, giggling every now and then on the particularly obnoxious snores from Dean, and Sam couldn't help but to laugh with him as he glanced at his toothy smile in the rear-view. His attention was pulled away from the kid when Dean's phone began vibrating on the seat beside him where it had fallen out of his brother's pocket. Sam grabbed it, glancing quickly at the screen before back to the road.

"Hey, Jody," he answered.

" _Sam? Is everything okay? I got this weird feeling after I got off the phone with Dean earlier."_

"Yeah, we're uh...we're headed to Garth's. Dean said he told you about the plan."

" _I'm glad that's the one you settled on. I take it Ian's in the car with you."_

"Yeah. He's doing okay I think. Could you do me a favor? Can you call Garth and fill him in? Let him know we'll be there probably around noon?"

" _You're driving straight through? You do realize that I'm literally on the way..."_

"I know," Sam said with a smile. "But I think the sooner we get to Garth's, the better. We'll take a detour and visit on our way back. Promise."

" _Is everything really okay, Sam?"_

Damn Jody and her ability to read Sam's voice like an open book. That and the fact that Dean hadn't picked up his own phone, of course. "Dean got hurt before we took them down," Sam confessed. "I patched him up. He says it's not a big deal, but nothing ever is with him, ya know?"

" _I know. You're worried."_

"Maybe. I guess."

" _When you get here, if he looks like he needs a doctor, don't worry. I'll make it happen."_

Sam smiled, knowing she would. "Thanks, Jody. Don't forget to tell Garth."

" _I got it. See you soon, Sam."_

 _*~.~*_

They'd stopped for gas once more before the last hundred mile stretch to Grantsburg. Dean had gotten himself out of the car while Sam was pumping, saying he needed to use the head. Ian was asleep at that point. Dean had grabbed something from the trunk before heading to the crappy gas station restroom. Sam figured it was the half a bottle of oxy they'd swiped a few months earlier.

Dean locked the door once he was inside the vacant bathroom, laying the little bag on top of the paper towel bin so he could take a piss. He wasn't completely surprised to see blood circling the urinal drain. He knew he'd have to keep an eye on that. He flushed, washed his hands, and hiked up his shirt. The bandage, much as he had thought, was damp with blood. He peeled it off, wincing as it pulled at the sore skin. It didn't seem to be bleeding too much. Just a little. Probably popped a stitch or something. He'd wait until they got the kid to Garth before bothering Sam to fix it.

Dean grabbed the bag from the towel bin and got another big bandage like the one Sam had put on the night before. He taped it on as best he could, ditching the bloodied one in the trash, making sure to pile some clean paper towels on top of it so it wouldn't be seen.

When he was finished, he popped a few ibuprofen and straightened his shirt before heading back out to the car.

"You okay?" Sam asked, standing in the open driver side door.

"Golden," Dean replied, trying not to limp too much as he made his way to the passenger side. "Ain't too much farther, is it?"

"Couple of hours," Sam replied, sitting down as Dean lowered himself into the car. "You take something, or should I grab the morphine?"

"Took some Advil in the bathroom. Morphine knocks me out. 'sides, it ain't so bad." That was a lie. It hurt like a bitch, but he didn't have time for Sam to mother him right now. "You can take a look at it when we get there, alright?" Although Sam still seemed hesitant, he nodded.

*~.~*

"Hey, kiddo," Dean gently woke Ian, unbuckling him from the booster seat. "We're here. Sam and I want you to meet our really good friend, okay?" Ian wiped his sleepy eyes and nodded, then reached out for Dean to pick him up. Dean reached under the boy's arms and went to lift him, but the shooting pain in his gut made him think better of it. "Here, let's just...lemme help you outta there. I need you to walk, okay?" Ian seemed to sense Dean's pain, and climbed out of the car without using Dean for support. He seemed to go straight for the hem of Dean's shirt, like he was trying to peek at the wound. "Whoa there, buddy, it's fine, okay?" he summoned a smile for him. "Hey look! There's Garth!"

Ian watched the tall skinny guy as he gave Sam a huge hug, smiling ear to ear. Ian liked him right away.

"Dean!" Garth smiled as he made his way toward him. "Hey, you don't look so good," he said, stopping himself before he pulled the man into a hug. "You okay?"

"Think I can take a _small_ hug," Dean told him. Garth took him up on it. "Good to see you, man."

"I'm so glad you're here." Garth pulled away and looked down at Ian, kneeling so they'd be eye to eye. "You must be Ian," he said with a smile. "I'm Garth." He held his hand out to Ian. Ian took it and sniffed. He looked into Garth's eyes, then surprisingly enough jumped into the man's arms, nearly knocking him over. "Whoa!" Garth laughed. "Guess he can tell we're the good ones," he said to the brothers.

 **Tbc...**


	4. Chapter 4

"You're gonna stay here now," Sam explained to Ian where he sat beside Dean. "This is gonna be your new family, if you'd like that. You think you'd like that, Ian?"

Ian nodded hesitantly, looking a bit sadly at Sam and Dean.

"Hey, kid," Dean added. "Don't worry. We'll be back to visit some time. Garth can teach you how to text us, and you can talk to us any time you want, okay?" Ian smiled up at him, taking Dean's hand and kissing the palm before standing up on the cushion and pressing it to Dean's cheek. He turned and gave Sam a quick hug around the neck and bounced off of the couch toward the kitchen.

Sam smiled at his brother. "He _really_ likes you, man," he said with a grin.

"I'm a likable guy," Dean replied, then swallowed, shutting his eyes as pain washed over him.

The smile fell from Sam's face. "You gonna let me check you?"

"Not here, okay?" Dean asked, voice tight. "Let's get a room. I know I need restitching." Sam's jaw clenched in frustration. "Yeah yeah, bitch at me later. I just wanna crash for a while, okay?"

Sam took a calming breath. "I'll let Garth know we're heading out."

Dean was almost to the car by the time Sam pried himself away from the house. He hurried to Dean's side when he saw him lean on the passenger door.

"You couldn't wait five minutes?" Sam argued, then his face fell when he saw his brother's pallor. "I knew it," he said, taking in Dean's appearance. He was covered in a sheen layer of sweat, his eyes noticeably circled with a pale purplish color now that they were in the sunlight. Sam put his hand on Dean's face. His skin was cool and clammy. "You are _not_ fine, Dean. I'm taking you to a hospital."

"Okay," Dean replied, no argument in his voice at all, which really made Sam all the more nervous. "Hey Sam? I...I can't seem to be able to open the door. Could you...?" Dean swallowed against what he knew was bile rising in his throat. Sam's eyes widened as his brother vomited beside the car, coloring the dirt below them red. He looked back up to Dean as blood dribbled down his chin.

"Shit!" Sam panicked. "Shit, Dean!"

"Don't let Ian see me like this, Sam. Just get us outta here, okay?"

Sam couldn't bring himself to argue with him. He hurriedly helped Dean into the car and shut the door, rushing to get in the driver side.

"Hey!" Garth's voice caused Sam to pause at the open door, watching Garth quickly approach them. "What's going on?" he asked, alarmed at the sight of Dean.

"Where's the nearest hospital?" Sam asked.

Garth shook his head. "Uh...east about ten miles. Sam?"

"I...I'll call you!"

The Impala left a cloud of dirt behind it as she roared down the road. Sam was trying to concentrate on keeping them on the road while glancing at Dean every fifteen seconds. The older brother had started breathing more rapidly since he'd thrown up. That, added with all the other symptoms, made it pretty clear to Sam that Dean was bleeding internally, and likely now in shock. The bastard had lied to him the whole way to Garth's.

"'m sorry, Sam," Dean said looking at his worried brother. "I wasn't thinkin'."

"Damn straight you weren't," Sam spat back. "You big idiot!"

"I know," he said without any fight. "You're right. I..." Dean trailed off, his breath becoming more labored. "Sammy, I...I can't breathe, man..."

The anger left Sam, replaced with terror as Dean coughed bloody spittle onto the window beside him. "We're almost there, Dean. Just hang on, okay?" He could see Dean's hand on the seat, seeking out Sam's. Sam grabbed onto it, and Dean was grateful.

"'m sorry," he said again, and closed his eyes.

"Dean!" Sam shouted. "Dean, wake up!" The car swerved, and Sam fought and kept it on the road, reaching out to check Dean's pulse at his neck. It was there, but it was slow and shallow, and Sam kept yelling for him to wake up, even as he screeched to a halt in front of the ambulance bay.

"S'm," Dean said, though his eyes were still closed.

Sam rushed out and to Dean's door, opening it and pulling his brother out, lifting him in his arms. He ran through the doors to the ER, frantically searching for someone who could help. "Somebody help!" he cried out. "Please!"

"I's okay, S'mmy," Dean tried to assure him, tried his best to smile. "'m okay." But Sam wasn't falling for his bullshit. He could see how scared the kid was. Angry, but scared. He really wished he hadn't put that look on his face.

"Sir, let us take him," someone said, and Sam looked up from Dean's face to see medical staff there with a stretcher.

Sam carefully laid Dean down onto it. "H-he's in shock," Sam told them, feeling himself shake as he spoke. The woman was saying something to him, but he couldn't concentrate on anything but the bed with his brother being wheeled away beyond another set of doors. "We didn't know it was this bad." He felt himself suddenly being pushed to sit on a spare bed that sat in the hallway, then the voice seemed more understandable.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Sam."

"Okay, Sam. And can you tell me the name of the man you brought in?"

"Dean. He's my brother. Fitzgerald."

"Okay great. Now can you tell me what happened, Sam?"

She was sitting beside him now. He felt her arm around his shoulders. "Uh...he uh..." Sam couldn't think. Not right this second. There wasn't enough free space to make something up. "He was in a fight yesterday," he began.

"What time was that?"

"Um..." Sam closed his eyes to think. "Around seven. We stopped to get dinner and he was ambushed in the parking lot. The guy stabbed him, but Dean...he said it wasn't that bad. He just wanted me to stitch him up so we could get back on the road."

"Where was this? Did you call the police?"

"Huh? Y-yeah. It was all taken care of before we left Wyoming." _Damnit. Get it together!_

"Wyoming?"

"No. Did...did I say Wyoming? God I'm sorry, I'm just...I'm so worried about my brother... I meant Winona. We were heading up here from Madison to visit Garth, a friend of ours here in town. We were there when Dean started to get real bad..." Sam's stomach sank again, like making up the story had made it less real for a moment, and the reality came flooding back. "Oh god...I shouldn't have listened to him when he said he was fine. I should've got him here sooner..."

"Listen, Sam," the nurse squeezed his shoulders a bit. "You got him here now. He's in good hands. We've got one of the best trauma surgeons on staff today, as luck would have it. Whatever's going on with your brother, they'll figure it out. Don't give up hope," she told him. He tried to smile at her. "I'm gonna pass this information to the doctors now. If you go to the waiting room, the receptionist will bring you some paperwork to fill out, okay? It'll blow some time." Sam swallowed, nodded and stood at the same time the nurse did.

He'd made his way to the waiting room and was handed the paperwork before he could even begin to decide where to sit. He didn't even bother. He saw the Impala still sitting in the ambulance bay, clearly no one was worried it would end up being in the way. Sam went out to move it. He had to close the passenger door before getting into the driver seat. The keys were still in the ignition. The engine was still running. Anyone could've walked up and taken her, and Dean would've had a meltdown.

Sam sat there just breathing for a moment. He couldn't seem to get his hand to put the car into gear just yet. Dean's shaky, weakened voice kept playing over and over in his head. _"'m sorry, Sammy. I's okay. 'm okay."_ Sam looked over at where Dean had been sitting beside him. His eyes shot right to the red splatter on the window. The picture in front of him suddenly blurred, and he realized it was the tears building in his eyes. He quickly swiped them away and took a deep breath. He had to get himself together. For Dean...

*~.~*

Sam had filled out the paperwork and was back outside again, pacing the sidewalk in front of the ER as he waited for Garth to pick up his phone.

" _Sam? What's going on with Dean?"_ was Garth's opening question. _"Ian smelled the blood and had a little freak-out on us."_

Sam's eyes watered at that. "Dean's uh...he was bleeding internally. I had no idea. He's been taken into surgery. They're gonna try and find where he's bleeding exactly..."

Garth could hear the slight shake in Sam's voice, along with the heavy breathing that no doubt stemmed from Sam's own freak-out. _"What can we do? Do you need anything? Anything at all..."_

"Actually uh...I need an insurance card for Dean..."

" _Don't you have like five billion of those things?"_

"I panicked and gave them a name we don't have. Fitzgerald."

" _Aww Sam, that's so-"_

"Can you do it?"

" _I've gotta cook something up for Ian's new identity anyway. I can manage. Give them my business number and tell them it's the insurance company. I'll send them over a set of numbers that should hold you over."_

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

" _You want me to come down there?"_

"Uh...I'll uh...let you know when I hear anything from the doc, okay? Just uh...tell Ian not to worry, and that we'll call him when I...when Dean's awake."

" _Okay. Sam, you know I'm here for you, right?"_

"I know," Sam let out a breath. "I...thanks, Garth. I gotta go." He ended the call and ran a hand down his face. Dean hadn't wanted Ian to know he was sick. So much for that. He opened the call list again and scrolled to Jody's number, hitting dial and taking one more deep breath before putting the phone to his ear. It rang a few times, then went to voicemail, which probably meant she was out on a call.

"Hey, Jody. It's Sam again. Uh...turns out Dean was worse than he was letting on," he said with a small, nervous laugh...

*~.~*

" _We're at a hospital in Grantsburg. Dean's in surgery."_ Jody's heart sank as she listened to Sam's voice as it cracked, though he'd been trying to keep it together. _"He's bleeding internally and they're working on him now. I just wanted to...ya know, keep you posted. I dunno if we can make it to see you."_ Sam seemed to break, then, Jody could tell as she put her hand over her mouth to hide her sad frown. _"I dunno if we're...leaving here, Jody."_ He sniffled. _"I uh...I'll call you when I know anything else."_ The call ended.

He'd called her almost an hour ago, and she'd been having a late lunch out. She'd left her phone in the car without realizing it, and hadn't noticed the message until she'd gotten back to the office. A huge part of her was afraid to call back. Sam hadn't called again, and that could mean anything. Not anything _good_. Maybe nothing bad either, but if Dean had come through okay, she was sure Sam would've called by now.

Jody remembered how Sam was after the last time he'd lost Dean, and wasn't it just so fucked up that there _was_ a last time... She'd had a taste of that with her son, him coming back and then having to be put down again. It didn't matter how much it happened, it hurt all the same. In fact, it hurt even worse. She refused to let him shut her out like that again; forced to leave him to drink himself half to death, and to hell with the rest of the world.

Oh god, but that'd mean Dean was gone, and she really hoped that that wasn't true. Sam and Dean were her family. They were a package deal. If she lost one, she'd lose them both. That'd never change. She couldn't just sit here and wait around for that call. It was a five hour drive, but she'd be damned if she was gonna let Sam do this alone...

 **tbc...**


	5. Chapter 5

They'd called Sam back into the operating room. They'd never done that before. He couldn't remember ever being allowed to be in the _vicinity_ of anything like this, where staff was still working on his brother. Yet here they were now, asking him to come back. Dean needed blood. The small hospital was low on reserves. Dean didn't have time to wait.

Once Sam caught sight of his brother on the operating table, he couldn't look away. Dean somehow looked worse than when he'd brought him in. He was deathly pale, and maybe it was the overhead lamps making it look so terrible, but that didn't make a difference as far as he was concerned. He scanned every part of Dean he could see, as he was being lead like a puppet in his scrubs over to another bed beside him.

They had had to intubate him, and that part was scary in itself. Not like Sam hadn't seen Dean hooked up to artificial breathing before. This was far from the first time, but it was still hard to see it. It was still hard to listen to the sound of the machine in charge of keeping him breathing. In that moment, it was even hard to understand exactly why Dean had needed that.

Then there was his abdomen. It was all squared off with tape and sterile cloths, the knife wound now being held open wide with instruments as the surgeon worked.

"He's tachycardic!" one of them said, and Sam felt himself pushed to sit as he anxiously glanced back and forth between the monitor and Dean. "We need that blood, Stacy!" Sam tried to hold perfectly still for the nurses to put the IV in his arm. Then the horrific flatline sound filled the room, followed by, "He's arresting! Let's get 'im back, people!" and Sam didn't need to try and hold still anymore, because now he was frozen.

"Dean?" he said too quietly for anyone to hear him. He watched them shock his brother; watched his body twitch with the flow of electricity. "C'mon, Dean, please," Sam said wetly, unable to stop tears from spilling over. Another shock, and the flatline was replaced with a steady beep. Maybe not steady, but a beat nonetheless, which Sam would take for now.

"Alright, honey, now just relax, okay?" a nurse told him, and his eyes briefly met hers before looking down at his arm to see his blood traveling up the tube already. "We're gonna take what we can for now-"

"Take as much as he needs," Sam interrupted. "I mean it. I can handle it. Just...just keep him alive..."

*~.~*

"Thanks, Roger!" Jody yelled as she exited the private plane onto the tar top of the Grantsburg Municipal Airport. She'd lucked out about half an hour into her drive, as Garth had hooked her up with a friend who could fly her the rest of the way. Garth was leaning on his car awaiting her arrival.

She hadn't brought anything with her. There hadn't been time or thought for that when she'd made the decision to come in the first place.

"Hear anything yet?" Jody yelled out when she got within earshot of the young hunter.

"Nothin'." He met her partway and greeted her with a hug. "He hasn't answered his phone lately either. I figure it's turned off in there, right?"

"Thank you so much for getting me that ride," Jody said as she pulled away. "I don't think I coulda stood the rest of that trip alone in my thoughts."

"No problem," he replied with a grin. "Everyone needs a friend with a plane."

"I'll second that. Can we head over..."

"Yeah." They both got into the car. "Dean wasn't looking so great when they got to my place with Ian," Garth began as he drove them toward the hospital. "But I didn't think anything like this would happen."

"They didn't either, I'm sure," Jody replied quietly. "Let's just hope that no news is good news..."

*~.~*

"Where's Sam?" Jody asked no one in particular as she looked around the ER waiting room. She glanced to Garth.

"Car's out in the lot, so he's gotta be here somewhere."

"Excuse me!" Jody called out at the reception desk, the receptionist having been over at the copy machine. "Can someone please tell me about a current patient?"

The lady came back toward her. "Patient's name?"

"Dean..." Jody began.

"Fitzgerald," Garth finished for her.

"And his brother, Sam, while you're at it."

"Okay, ma'am, can you tell me who you are?" the nurse asked.

"I'm family. _We're_ family," she added, gesturing to Garth.

"I'm gonna get the doctor to come out and talk to you, okay?"

"Why can't _you_ tell me?" she asked, suddenly fearful of the answer.

"I'm not a doctor, honey."

Garth pulled Jody gently by her shoulders and led her toward the seating area. "Let's just wait here, okay?" he said in a calming voice. Jody shrugged out of his grasp and wiped a hand down her face. "Hey, it's gonna be okay."

"You don't know that," she replied quickly, then began pacing.

"Family of Fitzgerald?" a man's voice sounded beside them, and Jody paused in her tracks to look at the doctor.

"That's us," she said as she approached him.

"Why don't you take a seat," the doctor offered, and Jody's heart skipped painfully. She knew what it meant when they asked you to sit down before the news. Her eyes began to fill with tears. "Mr. Fitzgerald is stable but critical," he began, and the weight suddenly lifted from Jody's chest, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "He's currently in ICU, along with his brother. Sam gave a lot of blood and we've got him resting in the same room. We figured he'd want to be there when he woke up."

"What's Dean's condition?" Garth asked.

"When he was brought in, he was in hypovolemic shock," the doctor began. "He'd been unknowingly bleeding internally for what we believe was approximately fifteen or more hours." Jody decided to sit after all. "He was on the operating table longer than we'd expected. Thank god his brother was here to give blood. Dean went into cardiac arrest twice while on the table." Jody's hands went to her face, hiding everything but her eyes as he continued. "But he's stable now. His blood count is up and everything seems to be coming along nicely. He's on assisted respiration until further notice, and he hasn't woken up since surgery. We're going to observe him closely for at least the next 48 hours, unless something miraculously improves."

"Please tell me we can see him," Jody pleaded.

*~.~*

The doctor had told them they could go in one at a time. Garth let Jody go first.

The sight of Dean hooked up to the respirator and several IV bags, and bandages covering his wound was bad enough without the pale, gaunt look of the man's unconscious body. Jody's hand went to her mouth. The one consolation was that he was asleep and hopefully not feeling a damn thing.

Then she caught sight of Sam in the bed beside Dean's, out of the way of the equipment hooked up to his brother. Sam, too, was hooked up to an IV. He was curled up on his side facing Dean, sleeping. His color was a bit pale, but he otherwise seemed physically fine. Jody approached his bed, sitting on the edge of it before tucking the younger Winchester's hair back behind his ear. He stirred, then, his eyes opening slowly.

"Jody?" He looked up at her, then pushed to sit up.

"Whoa there, big guy," Jody said as she grabbed a hold of him when he began listing forward. "Maybe you should stay lying down."

But Sam would have none of that. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug, which she eagerly returned. "You came."

"Yeah. Well, I had to see my boys."

Sam gently pulled away and looked over at Dean. "How long have you been here?"

"Just came in."

"He hasn't woken up?"

"The doc said he hasn't yet. That doesn't mean anything, you know," she said at Sam's worried expression. "His body is healing. Sleep is good for him."

"Maybe," Sam replied, but his features didn't change. "You didn't see 'im, Jody," he said, voice sounding heavy. "He... god it got bad so fast." Jody's hand rubbed his back now. "I watched him die on the table twice. I didn't think he'd make it...and now...it's like I'm waiting for it to happen again." He scrubbed his hands over his face for a moment.

"I've done it before," he began again, quietly. "I've lost Dean. I don't like what I become when that happens."

"He's gonna get better, Sam," Jody said, voice cracking at the pain she could hear in his voice and see in his posture. "Don't talk like you don't believe that. You can't give up on him."

"I'd never give up on Dean." He looked at her then. "Not ever."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know," he interrupted. "I really do, but...it was never Dean I was giving up on." He looked back to his brother. Maybe it was selfish. It actually probably was, but that didn't change his feelings. Without Dean, Sam just didn't...fit anymore...wasn't really _there_ anymore. The only reason he'd remain alive is out of guilt; the lives that might not be saved if he didn't stick around to do their job. He turned into a robot without Dean. A shell.

And hell, he knew Dean was the same when it came to Sam. Sticking around after one of them kicked it? Well that was the big curse, wasn't it? So yeah...it was absolutely selfish. If there was one thing Sam would hold onto after all they'd sacrificed in their thankless lives, it was going to be Dean. If that meant he was nothing without him, then so be it...

*~.~*

 **tbc...**


	6. Chapter 6

" _I wonder where Ian is," Sam said with a grin as he began sleuthing through the bunker. They were playing hide-and-go-seek, and Sam was currently 'it'._

 _Dean and Ian were hiding together, crouched beside one of the cars in the garage. Ian was so excited, he was clinging to Dean and barely containing his giggling._

" _Shhh," Dean whispered as he smiled. "He'll find us!" Ian slapped a hand over his mouth in attempt to mute himself. Dean could hear Sam's footsteps enter the large room._

" _Come out, come out, wherever you are," Sam said as he walked through. Dean could see him now, and he scooted them lower to the ground. He watched Sam's boots pass in front of the car they were now behind. Ian's little hand came up to cover Dean's mouth now, and Dean had to hold in a laugh of his own. He watched Sam's boots stop and turn back around. "I wonder where they could be," he said, and Ian started to squeal. "Aha! Found you!" Sam said, having jumped into view. "That means you're it, Dean!"_

 _Suddenly Sam was small. He was his younger self, Ian's age and as excited about the game as the other boy was. Ian took Sam's hand as they ran off together, laughing as Dean watched them go. Dean smiled widely and stood up from the floor. It was good to see Sam like this, happy and oblivious and enjoying something._

 _Dean covered his eyes and began counting out loud up to ten. "Ready or not, here I come!" he yelled and then uncovered his eyes just in time to see a little sneaker disappear through a doorway. He grinned slyly and quickly followed after it. "Oh Iaaann...where arrrre you?" he called out as he walked through the halls. "Little Saaaammyyyy, I'm gonna fiiiind yoooou!"_

 _Dean rounded his way into the library, following the sound of what had started out as giggling. The closer he got, however, it began to sound more and more like crying. Up ahead, as he passed a bookcase and could see beyond it, he saw the boys on the floor hovering over someone. They were both crying, trying to shake the man awake._

" _What happened?" Dean asked, rushing over to them. But they didn't answer. They didn't even seem to have heard him. That's when Dean realized the body on the floor was himself. It was Dean lying unconscious beneath the boys who were desperately trying to wake him._

" _Hey, hey, it's okay, guys. I'm right here! I'm okay," he tried to assure them._

" _Dean, wake up!" Sam cried, his little hand going to his brother's face. "Please! I need you, Dean! I love you! Please!"_

" _Sammy..." He wanted nothing more than to swoop him up in his arms and make those tears go away, but suddenly he couldn't move. His arms refused to reach out._

" _Dean, please please...please wake up," Sam cried, his voice seeming to get deeper._

"You gotta wake up, man. I can't leave you here like this. I won't. Please..." Sam's voice was clear now. His normal adult voice, Dean realized as he struggled to open his eyes.

"Sammy?" Damn his throat was dry and sore as hell. Why the hell was it so hard to open his eyes? He suddenly felt big, warm hands on his arm, one grasping onto his hand.

"Dean! Dean, can you hear me?"

"'course I c'n-" his response was cut short when the hoarseness in his throat forced him to start coughing. He couldn't quite comprehend what his brother was saying over his own panic at the pain that erupted in his gut and chest as he couldn't seem to stop the coughing. But he did feel the head of the bed raising up.

"Hey! C'mon, Dean, breathe, man! Try and take a drink," he pleaded, and Dean was able to open his eyes to see a small cup being held in front of him. He reached up, grabbing Sam's hands when Sam didn't just hand the cup over. He drank eagerly until the water was gone.

"More," Dean demanded.

"Okay, but...slow down, okay? I don't want you to choke on it."

"Who are you, my mother?" Sam didn't reply as he refilled the cup. "Oh god I feel like there's an elephant sitting on me. What the hell..."

"Dean," Sam began as he handed him the cup now. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Dean considered the question as he drank the water. He finished half of it and handed it back to Sam. "I vaguely...remember you bringin' me here," he replied. He watched Sam nod in thought. "How long've I been here?"

Sam met his eyes again. "A few days," he said, and it dawned on Dean in that moment that Sam looked like crap. "They took the tube out yesterday. Lowered the pain meds in hopes you might wake up. Took you damn long enough."

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't get the memo. Where's my pants?" He looked around the room.

"You don't need your pants right now."

"'course I do. Gotta get outta here. Been here too long already," he said as he tried to sit up fully. The heart monitor next to the bed started beeping a bit faster, and Dean put a hand on his chest, suddenly completely out of breath, his vision swimming in from of him. "What the hell..."

"Dean, you gotta lay back down!" Sam insisted, pushing Dean's shoulders so he'd comply. He went pretty easily.

"Holy crap," he said, still trying to get his breath back. "I haven't felt this kinda messed up in...well damn, it was like ten years ago, wasn't it? The reverend and the trapped reaper?"

"Twelve. Actually almost thirteen years ago actually," Sam corrected. "And that's probably because your heart stopped a couple of times."

"What?"

"You went into arrest twice on the operating table," Sam told him, and Dean could see the wetness in his eyes now. "You almost died, Dean. So don't think you're getting out of here so soon. Not today."

"Hey," Dean defended, trying to remain sympathetic but also make a bit light of the situation so his brother would relax. "I didn't exactly sign up for that. I didn't know I was that bad off, so stop being mad at me."

"I'm not—Jesus, Dean, I'm not mad at you. I just want you to take it easy. For real this time. No shortcuts and no hiding anything from me. I c-" he paused abruptly in his confession, biting his lip. Dean could sense the pain in his brother's demeanor with every little movement he made. "I can't watch that happen again."

Dean reached out and grabbed Sam's hand, making him meet his eyes. "I'll be good. I promise, okay? I'll do whatever you want me to do, and I'll even try not to complain about it."

"Now that's a flat out lie," Sam said with a small grin. Dean smiled back.

"Yer right. I'll try to try, though. I mean it." Sam shook his head, but the smile stayed.

"Thanks," Sam said.

"For what?"

"For waking up."

*~.~*

Dean lasted two more days before insisting on getting the hell outta there. Sam agreed once he got Dean to compromise by spending a couple of days in the spare room at Garth's place. Dean figured that'd be more comfortable than being on a bumpy road for nine hours just yet. He could handle a couple more days of rest, as long as it wasn't in the hospital with the nurses poking and prodding every half hour. Besides, he wouldn't mind seeing Ian for a bit after all.

Jody had been staying over there since she'd arrived in Grantsburg. Now that Dean was leaving the hospital, she felt like it was now okay to head back home. She did have a job, after all. She and Ian had spent the last few hours preparing the room for Sam and Dean so they'd be comfortable, even though sharing...as if they hadn't been doing that their whole lives. At least the bed was big. Garth's wife had brought in fresh towels and set them on the dresser. Garth had been busy cooking something that Dean would be both allowed to eat and also enjoy.

Jody's Target shopping bag sat near the door with the few shirts and jeans she'd bought after that first day. At least she'd be flying all the way this time. On a commercial plane, of course. Her flight wasn't until this evening, so she intended to dote on the brother's as much as possible until she had to leave.

"I see the car pulling up the road," Garth warned from across the house.

"Okay Ian," Jody said as she knelt down in front of him. "Do you have the pictures you made for Dean in your room?" Ian nodded with a big grin. "Why don't you go get them and bring them in here so he can see them." Ian spun and headed upstairs toward his room. Jody smiled after him, then made her way to the living room, seeing Sam help Dean out of his side of the car. Poor kid still seemed barely able to carry himself upright. She wondered if Dean would ever be able to return to hunting. Then she quickly shoved that thought out the window because this was _Dean_ and if there was a way, he would find it.

*~.~*

"This sucks," Dean said as he fought to get his breath when Sam helped him sit on the bed.

"I know it does," Sam replied sympathetically. "But you're getting stronger every day. That was your farthest walk yet."

"Dean!" a little voice sounded in the doorway, and Sam turned so they could both see Ian standing there, a pile of papers in his hands. Garth was just behind him with wide eyes.

"He's talking now?" Sam questioned with a smile.

"First thing he's said!" Garth replied as the boy ran up to Dean, crawling up onto the bed and then giving him a careful hug.

"Hey, buddy!" Dean said, doing his best to hug the kid back. "I missed ya."

"Me too."

"Whatcha got there?" Dean pointed to the papers he'd set on the bed beside him. Ian picked them up and handed them to Dean. "Did you make these?" he asked, looking over each one carefully.

"Uh huh. They're for you."

"Wow. These are real good, Ian. Thank you."

"Come on, little man," Garth reached out to take the boy's hand. "Let's give Dean some time to get settled, huh? You can help me finish dinner." Ian scooted off the bed and followed Garth outta the room.

Sam sat down beside Dean and looked at the pictures with him for a moment. Dean seemed to have gotten his breath back, thankfully.

"You used to make me pictures like this when you were little," Dean said with a small grin.

"Well you were my hero," Sam said with a shrug. "Still are."

"Ya big girl," Dean said, looking at him with a big smile. "Why don't you make me pictures anymore, Sammy?"

"Because you started calling me a girl when I did, jerk."

"That was dad, I thought."

"Oh yeah..."

"I bet if we looked hard enough, there's still some of 'em at Bobby's."

"Hey, if you want me to draw you a picture, just ask!"

"How about I draw you one," Dean replied, then flipped him the bird, a goofy grin on his face.

"Real mature," Sam said with a laugh.

"That's definitely what I was aiming for." Dean laid a hand on his chest, looking a little uncomfortable.

Sam's amusement was swiftly replaced with concern. "Here," he said as he picked up the papers and laid them on the side table. "You should be lying down." Jody had already piled up the pillows for him to be comfortable and inclined. Sam just had to help him all the way into the bed. "Jody's getting your meds ready. It's time to take some of them."

"You don't have to start fussing already," Dean said as he settled back on the pillows. His eyes were already feeling heavy.

"I'll fuss if I want. I have to because you're a big stubborn jerk."

"At least I ain't a bitch."

Sam laughed as he pulled the blanket up to Dean's torso. "I want you to know that if you weren't sick right now, I'd be holding that pillow over your face."

"Oh a joke about killing me! Excellent taste, Sam. Truly. It's definitely not too soon."

"Shuddup," Sam joked, smacking his arm. "Or I'll find the closest burrito place."

"Hell no! You are not staying in this bed after a burrito!"

"I guess that's up to you, huh?"

Dean clamped his mouth closed. "Fine. You win."

*~.~*

 **AN: Ehhh I think I'm ending it here. I mean, I could go on and do a recovery chapter or two, but...meh...**

 **~Fin~**


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